Samantha Romero-Bothi
After returning from a trip in Rome, Italy with the UC Davis Study Abroad Program, Samantha continued working as a pharmacy technician in addition to being a legislative intern in the 11th California State Assembly District. She then transitioned into the legal field, working full-time as a litigation assistant for the law firm Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney in San Francisco. She plans to continue working as a legal assistant until she attends law school.
How has your professional writing minor benefited you?
Completing the professional writing minor exposed me to a variety of writing styles and techniques used during college and after graduation. By participating in the minor, I challenged myself to create a portfolio with my best written works, compiling assignments from political science and professional writing courses as well as reports on courtroom hearings written during my internship.
In my current position as a legal assistant, writing and attention to detail are crucial skills to dominate. Since attorneys are preoccupied juggling several tasks and strict deadlines, they typically do not have ample time to finalize. This is where I come in. I am the final set of eyes revising correspondence and pleadings for accuracy, concision, consistency, and organization. In my line of work, I am responsible for presenting polished documents to judges, courtroom clerks, counsels, clients, insurance carriers, and supervisors. Enrolling in Business Writing (UWP 104A) and Introduction to Professional Editing (UWP 112A) were particularly helpful for tailoring internal and external written communications to different audiences. The professional writing minor has given me an upper hand to gracefully tackle any assignment I’m given.
Why were you interested in pursuing the professional writing minor?
During a counseling session, I was informed that even with my community college and political science units combined, I required additional credits from UC Davis to graduate. Rather than filling my schedule with random “fun” or “easy” classes, I considered pursuing a minor highlighting practical skills to potential employers. As someone who relished journaling and writing essays at a young age, I was excited when I realized UC Davis offered a professional writing minor. This minor was perfect for me because not only did I love the concept of involving a variety of disciplines and emphasizing professional fields as prerequisite courses, but it also incentivized me to participate in internships.
What advice do you have for current UC Davis students considering or currently completing the minor?
I encourage students who treasure writing or want to improve their writing to pursue this minor. There is always room for improvement in writing and I can honestly say that I learned a considerable amount in every course. If UC Davis offered professional writing as a major, I would have definitely taken this route. To this day, I know completing the minor was the best educational decision I made for myself at UC Davis. Enjoy the ride; it was rewarding and worth it!